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/noticias.info/ Sinn Féin Assembly member for Mid-UlsterGeraldine Dougan has said that there is a growing beliefthat loyalist paramilitaries were behind the murder inTobermore over the weekend.

Ms Dougan said:

"There is a fair degree of anger within the local communityat the events in Tobermore on Friday night and thesubsequent reporting of the incident as a hit and runaccident.

"There is now a growing belief amongst local people thatloyalist paramilitaries were responsible for this murder.It appears from eye witness accounts that the victim gotinto a dispute inside the club with a local loyalistleader. He was then dragged outside a viciously beaten infront of the rest of his friends before being thrown infront of a passing car.

"Local people I have spoken to are bemused at the lineinitially taken by the PSNI that this was a hit and runaccident when it appears to have been common knowledge thatthis man had been the victim of a brutal assault byloyalists and are openly questioning the motivation behindthis action." ENDS

/noticias.info/ Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh and South TyroneMichelle Gildernew has said that Peter Hain would be betteroff joining with the Irish government and asserting theircontrol over the political process rather than writingpleading letters to the DUP in this mornings Newsletter.

Ms Gildernew said:

"Many people will view this mornings open letter tounionism from Peter Hain as a pretty pointless exercise.Peter Hain is in a position of political leadership. It isup to the two governments to get a grip on this process andbegin to drive it forward. Pandering to the DUP agenda hasfailed. The stagnation of the past 12 months and more isevidence of that.

"Instead of making it clear to the DUP that the only basisupon which we can move forward is that set out in the GoodFriday Agreement, Peter Hain chooses instead to write apleading letter to a local unionist newspaper. That is notthe sort of political leadership which is required to makeprogress in the short time left before the governments owndeadline of November 24th.

"Sinn Féin remain committed to making progress in the timeavailable. Yet up until this point we are met withcontinual stalling from the DUP and continuing pandering tothis position by both governments. The DUP remain the onlypolitical party which is refusing to re-enter the politicalinstitutions. They alone remain the blockage to progressbeing achieved. Instead of writing letters to local papersPeter Hain would be better concentrating on driving forwardthe political process regardless of the rejectionisttactics currently being adopted by the DUP and deliveringon the opportunities created by the IRA initiative of 12ago." ENDS

The future governance of Northern Ireland will be decidedin the autumn, during another intensive talks' process. TheBritish and Irish governments have set what they insist isa final deadline of November 24 for a devolved governmentto be formed.

If a devolution deal cannot be done, local politicians andlocal people will remain without a direct say in therunning of the Province – possibly for many years to come.

Up against the clock, the Government is urging the DUP toenter a power-sharing executive with Sinn Fein. The DUP,however, is holding out for republicans to truly end linkswith paramilitarism and crime and support the police andjustice system.

In the News Letter today, Secretary of State Peter Hain hastaken the unusual step of penning an open letter tounionism. He claims to understand unionists concerns andsuspicions. But he also believes republicanism hastransformed itself and joined the body politic in a waywhich is irreversible.

His fear is that unionism will fail to recognise this untilit is too late and the consequences for Ulster will be"serious".

From Peter Hain MP, Secretary of State for NorthernIreland:

Unionism has every right to be confident: confident in itsplace in the United Kingdom with the principle of consentsecured by the Agreement, confident in its culture andconfident in its politics and its politicians.

It also needs to be smart.

In politics, as elsewhere, timing is all.

November is the time for unionism to seize the initiativeand it will get so much more by engaging and mainstreamingall parties in accountable, democratic politics in theAssembly and the Executive than it will by staying on thesidelines denying itself its rightful role in theGovernment of Northern Ireland.

And crucially it will get its hands on the levers of power.

I accept that in the past we were over-optimistic about thepace of transition within the republican movement and thatled to understandable suspicion on the part of unionists.

That is why we set up the Independent MonitoringCommission.

It is the IMC that tells us that the IRA is living up toits commitments: just read the last Report with an openmind.

Unionism wants to see more movement.

But the real danger for unionism is if what was seen in thepast to be justifiable concern and suspicion becomes aparalysing refusal to accept that their opponents arecapable of change and are part of the body politic.

There will be a real problem for unionism if the IMCreports in October that the IRA has done what it said itwould,

following on from the quietest parades season since the1960s and where Sinn Fein is seen to be co-operating morewith the police at street level and still there is nopolitical settlement.

And the consequences of failure by 24 November will beserious.

I am often told that unionism does not respond to threats.Quite right.Neither do I.But unionism should recognise political reality.

As the Prime Minster said in Armagh in April, having workedwith the Irish government and with the parties for nearly10 years on this, there will be nothing more that thegovernments can do.

And the political focus in the Republic will switchelsewhere at the turn of the year.

Devolution will go into deep freeze and, frankly, I cannotsee the circumstances in which it will be revived in theforeseeable future.

There will be no joint authority with the Irish governmentbut north/south and east/west co-operation will deepen.

Direct Rule will continue.

MLAs will lose their place as representatives of the peopleand while Ministers will, of course, continue to deal withMPs on constituency matters, the democratic deficit will bemassive.

The real loss will not be the salaries and allowances.

It will be the loss of a generation of

local politicians who will be seen by the public to havefailed.

I will continue to implement the reform agenda because itis the right way to take Northern Ireland forward.

There is general agreement that issues on the economy,education, infrastructure and administration need to beaddressed.

I want them to be addressed by those with a local mandateand they can be.

The next few months will involve difficult decisions forunionism.

It will mean engaging with people with whom most unionistswould rather not.

But, as the summer has shown, we are genuinely in adifferent place.

The prize is that local politicians will be able to decidelocal matters whether it is on education or rural planningor industrial de-rating or a host of other issues Icurrently have to deal with.

The future of Northern Ireland will be in local hands andthat is as it should be.

Establishing locally accountable, democratic structures ofgovernment is not about what I want, or Tony Blair wants orBertie Ahern wants.

It is about giving the people of Northern Ireland what theywant and what they deserve.

And if this opportunity is taken, unionism's confidence inits politicians will be well rewarded.

Any move to curtail the right of Catholics to be educatedin denominational schools would be "a new form ofcolonialisation" and create "a new injury, a new hurt",Archbishop of Armagh Seán Brady has said.

Asked during an interview yesterday on BBC World televisionif Catholic and Protestant children should not be educatedtogether, Dr Seán Brady delivered a robust defence ofdenominational schooling.

He said there was no certainty that non-denominationaleducation would eliminate tensions among the communities.

In the Balkans, he said, all communities had been educatedtogether. "It didn't help them from fighting each other."

Dr Brady said it would be a "grave injury" to Catholicpeople to be prevented from attending Catholic schools.

"We had schools, and now they are being taken away fromus," he added.

Asked if he was putting the narrow interests of theCatholic Church ahead of the broader interests ofreconciliation, he insisted that Catholic schools were "notnarrow and not exclusive".

"We know that as educators we have huge responsibilitiesand reconciliation is one of them," Dr Brady said.

"Our schools have played and will continue to play [ theirpart] in reconciliation here, by producing people who aretolerant . . . and taught values such as 'treat others asyou would like them to treat you'."

Dr Brady reiterated his disapproval of the concelebrationof an Easter Sunday Mass by a Church of Ireland ministerand three Catholic priests at the Augustinian priory inDrogheda last April.

"There are many initiatives which are authorised and whichare very successful in promoting unity," he said.

"I know it was well-intentioned, but it caused a lot ofuproar."

While he accepted that not enough progress had been made inreconciling the churches, he believed a lot importantstrides had been made in recent years to forge betterrelations between the churches.

During the Troubles, all churches had played "an importantpart in restraining people" from the two communities, DrBrady said.

"Ecumenism is the search for the unity which Christdesires," he said, but unity would not be easily arrivedat.

"Let's not forget history . . . It's going to take time."

He did not accept that the church's response to sex abusescandals had been "totally inadequate" and insisted that ithad invested a lot of effort in the issue in recent years.

"[ Now] we want to work together to make sure children aresafe," he said.

With the inquiry into the killing of 14 people byParatroopers in Derry in January 1972 not expected todeliver its report until next year, an MP expressed outrageat the costs, which have already reached £172 million.

Democratic Unionist representative Gregory Campbell said:"I would have thought there was a need to complete thischarade.

"It`s by far and away the most expensive public inquiry inBritish legal history."

But victims` relatives insisted no price should be put ontheir search for the truth, despite deepening frustrationsas they wait for tribunal chairman Lord Saville to deliverhis findings.

The mammoth investigation into the shootings during a civilrights march has been surrounded by uncertainty since itfinished taking evidence from more than 900 witnesses inNovember 2004.

Lord Saville was originally expected to publish his reportlast summer.

In August, however, it was announced that no new completiondate could be given.

The families of those who died have since said they werewarned by the Irish Government not to expect any releaseuntil sometime next year.

And Mr Campbell today confirmed his sources backed thisassessment.

"I have been informed that there will be a further delay inpublication," he said.

"There will be anger among many people as this meansfurther expenditure on an inquiry that`s not going to solveanything."

The East MP also claimed the tribunal, which first openedin April 1998, lost credibility by ignoring the context inwhich the Army opened fire.

Troops went into the city`s Bogside on the back ofescalating IRA violence and just days after two policemenwere shot dead, he added.

But John Kelly, whose brother Michael, 17, died on BloodySunday, stressed the families were prepared to wait as longas it took to get answers.

"We are in a situation of trying to be patient, althoughthere`s a lot of frustration," he said.

"But it`s been 34 and a half years, so what`s another fewmonths?"

Mr Kelly also hit back at the "waste of money" allegationsby claiming that if the original inquiry, chaired by LordWidgery and held soon after the shootings, had not beensuch a whitewash there would have been no need for theSaville probe.

He added: "You can`t put a price on the truth.

"You can`t put a price on justice and you can`t put a priceon the cost of human life.

"The cost of the inquiry is immaterial to me. Whatever itcosts it costs."

A spokeswoman for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry could not saywhen the findings would emerge.

She said: "It`s not possible to give an estimate of whenthe report is likely to be finished."

/noticias.info/ Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams todayexpressed his deep sadness at the death of his friend andformer Belfast Sinn Fein Councillor Sean Keenan. Sean diedthis mroning after a long battle with cancer.

Mr. Adams said:

"Sean Keenan came from a prominent Republican family inDerry City. His father, also Sean, was a renownedrepublican activist in the city. He had the distinction ofhaving spent 15 years in prison as an internee in the 30's,the 40's, the 50's and the 1970's. Sean senior was also awidely respected leader of the civil rights movement in the1960's and was Chair of the Derry Citizens DefenceAssociation.

"Sean's mother Nancy was equally well known, a member ofCumann na mBan who had been interned in the early 1940's.His brother Colm was shot dead by the British in 1972.

"Sean was a republican activist in Derry before moving toBelfast. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1985. Hewas a gifted elected representative and worked hard anddiligently on behalf of the people of West Belfast. He wasparticularly active around the housing issue and played akey role in the various housing campaigns which succeededin achieving the demolition of Unity Flats, Divis Flats,Moyard, Turf Lodge and Springhill. Thousands of people livetoday in better housing because of Sean's conscientiousefforts on their behalf.

"Sean was also a political activist and representative whowas targeted many times by loyalist death squads and theRUC and British Army. In 1984 he was travelling with me inBelfast City Centre when a loyalist gang attacked us. Seanwas very seriously wounded. Several years later Sean's homewas attacked and he was shot again.

"Throughout it all and including his long battle againstcancer Sean never lost his sense of humour or hiscommitment and dedication to republicanism.

"It was through the efforts of Sean and the other Sinn FéinCouncillors elected in the 1980's and 90's that much of thebigotry and sectarianism in Belfast City Hall wassuccessfully challenged.

"It was with great sadness that I heard the news thismorning that Sean had passed away.

"I would extend my deepest condolences and those ofrepublicans throughout Belfast and beyond to Sean's partnerUna and her family, his three children Colm, Nuala andCillian and their mother Marian. I measc laochra na nGael araibh sé."ENDS

A former Sinn Fein councillor wounded along with GerryAdams in a loyalist gun attack on their car in Belfast citycentre 22 years ago has died after a battle with cancer.

By:Press Association

Mr Adams led tributes to Sean Keenan, who came from aprominent Irish republican family in Derry.

Mr Keenan, a former housing spokesman for the party, servedas a councillor in west Belfast during the 1980s.

In 1984, he was injured when an Ulster Defence Associationgang opened fire on Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams` carafter it left Belfast Magistrates Court where they had beenappearing on a public order charge along with fellowrepublican Bob Murray.

The gang which launched the attack included John Gregg wholater became the UDA`s South Antrim brigadier.

He was gunned down in Belfast`s docks area in 2003 - as hereturned from a Glasgow Rangers match - during an internalloyalist feud with supporters of prominent loyalist JohnnyAdair.

Mr Adams was hit five times during the 1984 attack, hisdriver Kevin Rooney sustained injuries and Sean Keenan wasstruck in the face and arm.

Mr Murray escaped unharmed.

A year later Mr Keenan was elected to Belfast City Council.

Mr Adams described him today as a gifted electedrepresentative who worked hard for the people of westBelfast.

"He was particularly active around the housing issue andplayed a key role in the various housing campaigns whichsucceeded in achieving the demolition of Unity Flats, DivisFlats, Moyard, Turf Lodge and Springhill," he said.

"Thousands of people live today in better housing becauseof Sean`s conscientious efforts on their behalf."

Mr Adams recalled in addition to surviving the city centreattack, Mr Keenan survived another attempt on his life inhis house.

The West Belfast MP recalled: "Throughout it all andincluding his long battle against cancer Sean never losthis sense of humour or his commitment and dedication torepublicanism.

"It was through the efforts of Sean and the other Sinn Feincouncillors elected in the 1980s and 90s that much of thebigotry and sectarianism in Belfast City Hall wassuccessfully challenged.

"It was with great sadness that I heard the news thismorning that Sean had passed away.

"I would extend my deepest condolences and those ofrepublicans throughout Belfast and beyond to Sean`s partnerUna and her family, his three children Colm, Nuala andCillian and their mother Marian."

"I spent many hours over recent weeks with Sean and hisfamily and he faced his illness with typical courage andfortitude," the South Belfast Assembly member said.

"Sean Keenan will be remembered with great pride andfondness by the people of Belfast and in particular by thepeople of West Belfast who elected him as one the firstSinn Fein councillors to the City Hall.

"Republicans will remember him as a friend, comrade andactivist and I would wish to offer my condolences to Sean`sfamily at this sad time."

The Ulster Defence Association - the largest paramilitaryforce in Northern Ireland - is imploding this weekend as itembarks on its third internal feud in six years.

Activists close to ousted North Belfast commanders Andreand Ihab Shoukri were engaged last night in a dangerousstandoff with the UDA leadership following the expulsionfrom the organisation last week of both brothers, alongwith a key ally from North Belfast.

Extra police and troops have been drafted into theShoukris' strongholds, the Westland estate and theBallysillan area. Over the last 48 hours there have been aseries of violent incidents involving the pro-Shoukrifaction and those loyal to Jackie McDonald, the southBelfast 'brigadier' and de facto head of the UDA inNorthern Ireland.

The latest feud started with reports from Maghaberry topsecurity prison that someone had tried to poison theShoukri brothers. Andre is on remand facing extortioncharges while his brother is also being held, accused ofUDA membership.

On the outside, there has been at least one murder attempton one of the Shoukris' allies; an attempt by the Shoukrifaction to march on the homes of UDA men loyal to theleadership in the Tyndale/Ballysillan area; a pipe bombfound on the Westland estate; and an exchange of menacingstatements between the leadership and the rebels.

The Shoukri brothers were expelled over allegations ofwidespread criminality. They counter that all UDA brigadesare involved in racketeering.

A man is being questioned about a weapons seizure linked toloyalist paramilitary tensions in Belfast.

By:Press Association

He was arrested by police after guns, ammunition and petrolbombs were discovered during a series of searches in thenorth of the city. Another man has already been charged.

Officers moved in on Friday night as a stand-off developedbetween the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and supportersof its ousted bosses, Andre and Ihab Shoukri.

Shots were also reported to have been fired during thetrouble in the Tynedale area.

Even though a new leadership has been installed by the UDAin north Belfast, a core loyal to the Shoukri brothers -both currently remanded in jail on a series of charges -have been threatening to provoke a new internal feud.

After claiming homes had been attacked in the loyalistBallysillan and Tigers Bay districts, the UDA staged a massshow of strength on Saturday night.

Up to 800 men were mobilised for a rally at which theoutlawed grouping vowed not to let criminals destroy itsneighbourhoods.

A statement from the UDA`s so-called inner council said:"The organisation will not stand by and allow its communityand its members to be attacked after 35 years of conflictwith the Provisional IRA and republicans.

"We have fought the IRA, the RUC and our own army. If needbe, we will fight drug dealers.

"We believe that it`s the duty of the PSNI to influence lawand order so we can all live in peace and safety."

The man convicted of murdering County Tyrone woman AttractaHarron should receive the toughest possible sentence, acourt has been told.

Trevor Hamilton, 23, will be sentenced on Friday forkilling the retired librarian in 2003.

A prosecutor said Hamilton, of Concess Road, Sion Mills,subjected her to extreme violence and showed no remorse.

The defence said his age should be taken into account whensentenced. The maximum term is life without remission.

Mrs Harron, 55, from Strabane, vanished while walking homefrom Mass in December 2003.

The body of the mother of five was found four months laterin a makeshift grave dug into the side of a riverbankbordering Mr Hamilton's home. She had been battered todeath.

Hamilton was found guilty of murdering the pensioner lessthan four months after completing a rape sentence.

Dungannon Crown Court heard from the prosecution thatHamilton went out in a "pre-meditated" way, looking for avictim.

The prosecution said he picked Mrs Harron because she waswalking on her own, and added Hamilton "deceived andenticed" the devout Catholic into the car where she was "athis mercy".

She was subjected to "extreme violence and terror" whichresulted in her death, the court heard.

She was killed with an axe or a hatchet.

Her body was so badly decomposed it was impossible toestablish if she had been sexually assaulted, but theprosecution said considering his previous convictions whichincluded rape, no other conclusion could be reached.

Hamilton who appeared in court on Monday flanked by twoofficers expressed no emotion.

The Government was today accused of letting developersdictate the housing market as one of the country’s largestbanks warned the average cost of a home will hit €400,000by 2006.

Opposition TDs said developers, investors and banks werepricing young people out of the market.

Labour Party chief whip Emmet Stagg accused bankers ofbeing out of touch with the realities being experienced bymany young families.

“It is difficult to understand how inflation in the housingsector could be running at three times the rate ofinflation generally and it suggests that there may be anunacceptable level of profiteering going on in somesections of the construction industry,” he said.

“The reality is that affordability has long ago become aproblem for many buyers, with even couples with two goodincomes being pushed to the pin of the collars to find ahome they can afford.”

“It is clearer than ever that housing policy in this stateis no longer in the hands of the Government, but iscontrolled by developers, property speculators and thebanks,” he said.

Mr Crowe said it was vindication of his party’s policy tobring in capital gains tax at a rate of 40% for secondhomes. And he accused contractors of failing to meet theircommitments to supply 20% social and affordable housing oneach new development they build.

“This shows who is driving housing policy in Ireland. It isnot driven by need, nor the requirements of the almost44,000 families on the housing waiting list,” he said.

“It is driven by the interests of the inhabitants of the(Fianna Fáil) tent at the Galway races this week.”

Bank of Ireland’s Irish Property Review, a quarterlyanalysis of the market, predicted 2006 will set new recordsin terms of house prices, completions and mortgage lending.

Higher interest rates look like the only way the marketwill cool, the review noted, and anyone looking for a slumpwill be forced to wait until 2007 before there is any signof a slow-down.

Dr Dan McLaughlin, group chief economist with Bank ofIreland, said: “Prices have certainly risen at a surprisingpace of late, particularly as the market appeared to bestabilising twelve months ago.

“Price inflation re-accelerated towards the end of lastyear and in 2006. On that basis, our previous forecast of a9% price rise this year is too low and we are revising thatup to 12%.

“This would put the price of an average house nationally ataround €395,000, from €352,000 at end-2006, with Dublinprices at €532,000.”

Alternatives, a community-based restorative justiceprogramme which has been working for the past nine years tostop young people being beaten and shot by loyalistparamilitaries, is facing closure.

This is because the Government has introduced a fundingembargo until we sign up to a set of guidelines which areallegedly designed to regulate and formulise a relationshipbetween organisations such as ours and the formal criminaljustice system.

Alternatives has never had any problem with guidelines but,in the past, these have not been implemented becauseCommunity Restorative Justice Ireland, which operateswithin the nationalist community, has refused to work withthe PSNI.

In essence, Sinn Fein has been handed a veto by theGovernment over the issue of restorative justice inNorthern Ireland: no one receives financial support untilSinn Fein signs up to policing. Whatever that means.

The consequence is that power has been taken out of thehands of groups like my own, operating within theProtestant community, and we are expected to wait onsomeone else's political agenda.

So, this begs the question: how can the Government justifytheir recent £3m pledge to whitewash loyalist murals, whilerefusing to fund a group that is stopping children andyoung people from being beaten, shot or expelled from theirown community?

Furthermore, in light of the Government's strategy for thecommunities in which Alternatives works - north and eastBelfast, the Shankill and Bangor - I have to ask just howcommitted politicians are to tackling the real issue ofviolence?

Certainly, my organisation, which has been workingtirelessly for nearly a decade, not only to stop bones frombeing broken, but to change mindsets and attitudes, feelsthat their commitment is minimal.

This is because, despite the public outcry by police,government bureaucrats and others, and the politicalmileage gained as a result of this issue, no one has beenwilling or able to take the risk to stop the brutalisationof youngsters in Protestant communities.

Alternatives formally opened its doors in 1998 to workintensively with young people involved in anti-socialactivities in order to help them change their behaviour. Wealso support their victims and contribute to building thecapacity of local communities.

Many of the young people have met face-to-face with theirvictims, apologised for the hurt they have caused and havemade restitution. A lot of them have also subsequentlybecome involved in volunteer work and other positiveinitiatives in their areas.

From the beginning, this work has been carried out inpartnership with the police, the Probation service, socialservices and the Housing Executive, with all of theseagencies represented on the management committees ofAlternatives.

Since our inception, we have been rigorously evaluated andaudited in terms of meeting objectives, levels ofprofessionalism and financial management and controls. Inother words, we have maintained high standards at alllevels.

But, instead of acknowledging how this ground-breaking workis contributing to changing local loyalist communities, theGovernment's disappointing and unjust response toAlternatives has been the introduction of a funding embargountil we sign up to a continually stalled set of guidelinesthat we have been requesting for the past eight years.

We have previously agreed two sets of guidelines withstatutory agencies and the police, both in 1999 and in2001, but these were never implemented, having beenwithdrawn by the Northern Ireland Office.

Clearly, the Government is refusing to fund a perfectlylegitimate community organisation that ticks all the boxesand meets all the criteria because Community RestorativeJustice Ireland will not work with the PSNI.

Ridiculous as it may seem, even the DUP appears to have aconflicting stance on restorative justice - while DUPpoliticians on the ground have publicly endorsed the workof Alternatives, Sammy Wilson MP recently made disparagingremarks about us in a House of Commons debate on policing.

The time has come for Government and politicians torecognise the achievements of Alternatives, and thepositive contribution we make in transforming and renewingloyalist communities.

We are not an alternative to the policing service or thecriminal justice system, and we will continue to do ourutmost to help build confidence between the formal criminaljustice system and the community.

The responsibility for change now rests with theGovernment.

We demand that the Government treats us on our own meritsand removes the barriers to funding.

The reality is that while these political games are beingplayed, local communities and young people continue tosuffer.

And while some politicians continue to use restorativejustice as a point scoring exercise, violence continues onthe streets.

Local communities are crying out for alternatives toviolence and are appalled at the possible closure ofAlternatives. Listen to their voices. It will take morethan paint to transform their communities.----

Case study A

A youth, threatened on numerous occasions by paramilitariesbecause of anti-social behaviour, was identified as at riskand referred to Alternatives. He was assigned a supportworker who agreed a contract with him.

Among other things, the youth had damaged a pensioner'sproperty and his schooling was seriously disrupted.

Through the mediation of Alternatives, he met the pensionerand wrote him an apology. The pensioner began telling himstories about his childhood, about his life in the Army andbeing interned in 1973.

This gave the Troubles a human face and on a visit to theUlster Museum the youth became fascinated by an exhibitionabout the Troubles.

A friendship developed as the youth shared the pensioner'sstories and ran errands for him. He tidied up the garden -and was rewarded with friendship and bottles of Coke.

Schooling was difficult, but his dedicated support workerhelped with his studies and even sat alongside him inschool. Although he has never got to like school and iseasily bored, he has shown artistic and creative talent.

Alternatives helped him become involved in other activitiesand the Fire Service was particularly helpful. He has manymore hills to climb, but his future now looks much morehopeful.~----

Case study B

A young woman who is ill and living on her own was caughtup in a dispute between neighbours that involvedparamilitaries. The windows of her home were smashed withdevastating effects. Police were called, but only arrivedan hour later and seemed unable to do much.

The woman went to Alternatives, who arranged mediation withthe paramilitaries so that the windows were replaced. Shelearned much from her experience, remains involved in theorganisation and has completed courses throughAlternatives.----

Case study C

A teenager was caught up in stealing and rioting beforebeing referred by paramilitaries to Alternatives. He wasprepared to meet his victims but they didn't wish this andinstead he wrote letters of apology. These were greatlyappreciated and he made a contract to visit Alternativesevery other day. He did voluntary work for local pensionersand a disabled neighbour and has developed a betterrelationship with his mum. He took part in various coursesand has found employment and housing.

Without Alternatives he faced brutal punishment beatings.----

Case study D

A mother reports that her family has been literallytransformed through Alternatives. Her husband had beenabusive and she and her three children faced seriousdifficulties. The abuse became so bad she found herself ina hostel which she described as "the end of the line".

Things looked very black when she heard about Alternatives,who provided her with ongoing support and counselling. Herfamily's life has been turned completely around. She hasfound childcare, taken up studying and gainedqualifications. She now has a job she loves, her childrenare making good progress in school and relationships havegreatly improved.

The family do things together and now "know what normallife is about"----

Case study E

Another woman's daughter was severely beaten and abused byschool mates. The effects were traumatic. The girl lostweight, couldn't sleep or eat or go out. The familyliterally "went through hell" with seemingly no one to turnto. The police could do little but, thanks to Alternatives,progress is being made and her daughter is taking smallsteps to recovery. The girl has obtained excellent schoolreports and sporting achievements, although full recoveryremains a long term process. She sets herself daily tasksand gets great satisfaction with each successful step shetakes.

SIMPLISTIC one-liners, such as, "Israel has a right toself-defence", or "help Israel fight terrorism", do not fitthe facts.

Israel destroys Lebanon from the air by bombing housingestates, a convoy of ambulances, United Nationspeacekeepers, bridges and roads, milk and paper factories.

The best of spin doctors would be hard put to justify theseas military targets.

Nobody believes this is "collateral damage" or part of the"war on terror".

It is a war by terror, a shocking obscenity and illegalunder international law.

This is state terror. Yet, Israel's war on Lebanon islegitimate self-defence according to the AustralianGovernment, which uncritically supports Israel's actions.

When Hezbollah sends rockets into Israel that is"terrorism".

But when Israel contravenes international law, it is not.

This is a terrible double standard from Alexander Downer.

A war crime is a war crime no matter who commits it.

The targeting and collective punishment of civilians andtheir homes, by both sides, war crimes.

So why does Downer excuse one side and condemn the other?

The reality is that the US and its allies are embroiled inthe same vicious circle of violence in which Israel hasentangled itself.

This in the killing of civilians in Iraq, Bali, London,Afghanistan, and now Haifa and Tyre.

When I look at Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, I wonder: doesthe West care about the slaughter of innocent Arabs, or isthis racism that says some lives are worth more thanothers?

Perhaps, the "War on Terror" is a racist war.

The death toll of civilians on each side certainly pointsto that.

The war launched by Israel was originally justified on thegrounds that there were three Israeli prisoners it had theright to retrieve.

But there are also more than 9500 Palestinian and Lebaneseprisoners held in Israel's jails.

Some of them have been there for decades, most withoutcharge or trial.

Democratically elected Palestinian MPs have been kidnappedby Israel. Would the world accept the kidnapping of SinnFein members for the actions of the IRA?

If Israel can go to war to free its prisoners, is AlexanderDowner saying the Palestinians and the Lebanese have theright to attack Israel in order to free these 9500prisoners, or is there one rule for Israel and one rule foreverybody else?

This is the cycle of violence we should be condemning.

To understand the deep-seated issues that lead the MiddleEast to war, time and again, we need to discard the doublestandards and the disregard for Arab lives and start anhonest discussion.

One welcome voice has been that of former deputy primeminister Tim Fischer.

In his own words, Fischer is "calling a spade a spade".

He points to Israel's consistent record of illegal anddisproportionate use of force, citing the example of the1994 massacre of 104 civilians sheltering in a UN Compoundin south Lebanon.

And he is critical of Australian foreign policy becausethis "war is going to embed the hatred for the next 20years".

Mr Fischer's words and anger last week were prophetic.

This week, in the same town of Qana, Israel massacred morethan 60 civilians, 37 of them children.

Few will doubt Mr Fischer's loyalty or courage as a formermilitary serviceman or parliamentarian, nor that he mighthave somehow been cajoling or supporting terrorists.

He was very clear that Israel has a right to exist andshould be free from attack, but he was also very quick tosay "Palestinians also have a right to statehood", which isthe forgotten issue at the very heart of Middle-Eastpolitics.

The Palestinians do not occupy Israeli land. Israeloccupies Palestinian land.

The Palestinians are denied their state and the militarycapacity to defend their rights, While Israel is armed tothe teeth.

In the past 30 years, Israel has received more than $140billion in military and other aid from the US. The realityis that Israel's occupation came decades before Muslimextremism, suicide bombings or al-Qaida.

Are we genuinely committed to the rule of internationallaw, the international declaration of human rights anddemocratic principles?

If we are, then we have well-established objectives and alegal framework to deal with the current issues.

The law and its expectations and principles should beapplied equally and nobody should be above the law --neither Arab nor Israeli.

The failure to resolve the Middle-East conflicts andparticular the Palestinian issue feeds those, who do notwant democratic societies and the rule of law, but insteadendless war, crusades of one kind or another with "God ontheir side".

The commitment we need to find in Australia is to theprinciples of democracy, the rule of international law andhuman-rights frameworks. Can our Government find thatcommitment?

Private sector borrowing is rising at the fastest rate inover six years, the Central Bank said yesterday, despiterepeated calls for moderation.

The annual growth rate in private sector credit hit 30.3per cent in June, up from 29.8 per cent in May, and thestrongest increase since March 2000.

The figures were released as the bank warned in itsquarterly bulletin that accelerating house prices andrapidly rising levels of indebtedness were heightening thevulnerability of the economy to interest rate increases andescalating oil prices.

Separate data published yesterday showed that the propertymarket continues to surge, with Permanent TSB and the ESRIreporting that prices at the end of June were 15.2 per centahead of the levels a year earlier.

And Bank of Ireland chief economist Dr Dan McLaughlinwarned that the boom would see the price of the averagehome in the capital topping half a million euro by the endof the year.

The bank yesterday predicted the market would expand 12 percent in 2006. This would put the average nationwide priceof a house at about €395,000 and push Dublin prices to anaverage of €532,000, Bank of Ireland said. At the end of2005, national house prices were €350,000 and prices in thecapital averaged €475,000.

Three increases in interest rates in recent months have yetto impact on the rising trend of Irish house prices. TheEuropean Central Bank is widely expected to raise rates byanother quarter percentage point on Thursday. This will adda further €34 to the monthly repayments of home-owners,with the cost of a typical mortgage of €250,000 over 25years set to rise to €1,333.

Borrowers on a typical tracker rate of 3.85 per cent havealready seen €100 added to monthly mortgage costs asinterest rates rose by three-quarters of a percentage pointsince December.

Recent strong growth in residential mortgage lendingcontinued in June, although the annual growth rate easedslightly, falling to 29.1 per cent in June, down from 29.5per cent in May.

For the second month in a row, however, non-mortgage credithad a higher annual growth rate than mortgage credit,rising to 32.6 per cent in June, up from 29.7 per cent inMay.

Private sector credit has now increased by an average of €5billion each month during the first half of 2006. The Juneincrease was €5.8 billion, bringing private sectorborrowings to €289 billion.

Term loans rose by €4 billion in June, the largest increasein a year while outstanding credit card debt was 18 percent higher than a year earlier.

IIB chief economist Austin Hughes said credit card debt,though small in the context of overall borrowing, was worthwatching for any indication of emerging financialdifficulties for consumers.

A tornado that struck Co Tipperary in the early hours ofyesterday caused no injuries but damaged at least threehouses, destroyed two cars and left a newly married coupletemporarily homeless. A number of trees were also damaged.

The freak storm occurred between the villages of Glengoole(New Birmingham) and Ballysloe, creating what Met Éireannspokesman Hugh Daly said appeared to be a "minor tornado".The State's leading tornado expert, Dr John Tyrrell ofUCC's department of geography, is expected to visit thearea today to begin an investigation.

The eye of the storm hit the townland of Mellison at2.11am. Gardaí from Thurles were called to the scene andarrived within minutes.

Jason O'Gorman and his wife Thérèse woke to a "loudcrashing noise which lasted 10 to 15 seconds".

The roof was blown off their house and the wind had "forcedin the window of a front room" where their nine-year-olddaughter Naomi and her cousin Megan (10) were sleeping.

Mr O'Gorman said the strength of the wind had "movedfurniture and trapped the children" and he had to "kick thedoor down to rescue them". The family dog, Snoopy, whosekennel was thrown about the yard, had a lucky escape as hewas sleeping in a garage.

The O'Gormans had just moved into the house after marryingfive weeks ago and were carrying out renovations. Lastnight they were forced to move to the home of nearby in-laws whose house was less extensively damaged. They saidboth their cars were "complete write-offs".

Neil O'Donohoe, originally from Sandymount, Dublin, who haslived in the area for 25 years, said he had "never seenanything like it".

He described the sound as resembling "an explosion" andpointed out the damage caused by a 37ft ladder that wasblown on to the roof of his house.

In the village of Ballysloe, Susan Treacy said she heard asound like that of an articulated truck spreading throughthe village, causing the windows to rattle.

Residents and neighbours, some of whom had workedthroughout the night, spent yesterday cleaning up the stormdamage and putting a temporary cover on the roof of theO'Gormans' house. Roof tiles were found hundreds of yardsfrom the scene. A trampoline was discovered 50m from itsmoorings.

Assessors from insurance companies are expected to arrivein the area this morning.

The Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (IAI) has calledon the Office of Public Works (OPW) to publish itsmanagement plan for Skellig Michael under Unesco worldheritage site requirements.

The OPW recently denied there was any threat to the Unescoworld heritage status of Skellig Michael as a result ofworks being carried out under its supervision, but hasconceded that a management plan is not yet in place. A"formal process" has been initiated, it said, and apreliminary strategy was prepared as part of the 1996 worldheritage status application.

The IAI has now asked the OPW to "outline and clarify thecontext, scope and extent of conservation works beingcarried out" on the former monastic island and nationalmonument off the Kerry coast. This comes several weeksafter Connemara-based archaeologist Michael Gibbonsexpressed concern about accidental damage caused to theisland's South Peak oratory or hermitage. Mr Gibbonscontends that such a plan should have been prepared whenUnesco status was awarded 10 years ago.

The structure was built by the island's monks some timebetween the 6th and 8th centuries, when they laid out threeseparate terraces on the edge of rock some 218m (715ft)above sea level. An "over-restoration" by the OPW hadresulted in a "reconstruction" of sections of the oratoryrather than conservation, Mr Gibbons said, and had causeddamage to an original altar.

Mr Gibbons said independent evaluation of work, as requiredunder Unesco guidelines, was critical to prevent over-restoration of sites. No restoration should be done onSkellig Michael beyond the "absolute minimum necessary", hesaid.

OPW archaeological and architectural staff have describedMr Gibbons's comments as "ill-informed and unjustified".

In a related development, Des Lavelle, author of a book onthe rock and operator of one of the ferry permits forSkellig Michael, has criticised the OPW's approach tomanaging public access to the island. He said its annualsystem of issuing ferry permits lacked a long-term strategyand suggested it may be "trying to close the island down tothe public bit by bit". According to Mr Lavelle, some 19annual permits had fallen to 14, and the OPW had notransfer system in cases where boat operators retired.

Skellig Michael is one of three Irish archaeological siteswith Unesco world heritage status, along with Brú na Bóinneand the Giant's Causeway.